Teen Binge Drinking on the Rise
Research recently published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health shows a surge since 1999 in the number of young Australians who are hospitalised for binge drinking.
By comparing research on young people’s report of how much they drink and hospital admissions for excessive alcohol consumption in young people, researchers found that the emergency room data showed “rapid increases in alcohol presentation rates” in people aged between 16 and 24. Symptoms included alcohol dependence, mental and behavioural disorder due to alcohol, alcohol poisoning, alcoholic gastritis and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. One researcher suggested that teens may under-report their drinking habits, and the hospital intakes are a probably more accurate measure.
